The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 52 – Goetz & Wieniawski (J): Piano Concertos – Hamish Milne, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Michał Dworzyński Hyperion

Piano Concerto in B flat major Op 18[40’47]Hermann Goetz (1840-1876)
1
Mäßig bewegt[16’50]2
Mäßig langsam[11’56]3
Langsam – Belebter – Lebhaft – Ein wenig ruhiger – Tempo I[12’01]Piano Concerto in G minor Op 20[28’42]Józef Wieniawski (1837-1912)
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Allegro moderato[13’49]5
Andante[7’09]6
Allegro molto vivace[7’44]

Hamish Milne makes a welcome return to the Romantic Piano Concerto series with two recherché delights from the nineteenth century.

Józef, ‘the other Wieniawski’ is the brother of the more famous violinist, Henryk. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and had a wide-ranging and successful performing and composing career. His highly attractive Piano Concerto in G minor is in the mould of those by Chopin and Liszt, with the piano very much in the foreground. The Rondo finale demands a spectacular display of technique, living proof of Wieniawski’s own brand of virtuosity.

Goetz’s music, although full of melodic gift and mastery of form, was rarely performed after the end of his short life. His piano concerto proved to be the most successful of his orchestral works played during his lifetime, and was praised by the local press as ‘evidence of his outstanding talent, crafted, melodious, fiery and reflective, with a brilliant piano part. It is effective without playing to the gallery, often has quite new combinations of scoring in the orchestral accompaniment, and is, in the best sense of the word, modern’.